Michigan, Massachusetts and other states across America are beginning to crack down on the use of fake service animals.

At least a dozen states have proposed legislation to to put a stop to pet owners who attempt to pass their house pets off as service animals. It is estimated that there are 20,000 legitimate service dogs in the U.S.

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"Any pet owner can go online and buy a vest for a dog to pass it off as a service animal to gain access to restaurants, hotels and places of business,” Massachusetts State Rep. Kimberly Ferguson told USA Today. “Their animals aren’t trained and end up misbehaving in these public places, which gives real service dogs a bad name.”

It can take years for an animal to complete the training required to become an official service dog. Recently Michigan passed a law that makes it illegal to have a fake service animal. WSYM reports an offender could face up to 90 days in jail or a fine.

Currently, there is no national database on service dogs which makes it impossible for businesses to verify an animal's authenticity.